Zootopia: After The Fact
by Sweetnlow10
Summary: Nick and Judy, both the first of their species to join the ranks of the ZPD. Meanwhile, Nick finds himself having feelings for Judy, and Judy for Nick. It's only a matter of time before her parents and the rest of Zootopia find out. Changed name from 'Ghost In The Fog' to 'After The Fact'. Contains (Nick X Judy - Oc X Oc)
1. Cooper (1)

Authors Note:

Alrighty, my first fanfiction. I hope it turns out well. I'll try my best to keep Nick and Judy in character. My Oc is definitely has potential, and he is going to get pretty interesting.

Oh. Later on in this story, I plan for there to be some serious Interstellar-style interacting with your own timeline, so if you're into that Sci-Fi stuff, this will be pure gold. It'll be a good story in general.

This fanfiction takes elements of other movies, games, and other inspirations.

Enough talking. Or writing. See you at the bottom.

Leave a review after you read the story!

Chapter I

'Cooper'

Nick and Judy both sat silently in their squad car. Nothing much has happened since the pair arrived earlier that night, only a few pedestrians sulking by casually along the narrow sidewalk. The house they were watching, a small cabin-like building made of wood, harbored a coyote accused of multiple counts of theft, robbery, and one count of murder. Judy had been, at the least, excited to finally catch this criminal, to rid him from Zootopia's streets once and for all.

Nick took a peek at his watch, which read 12:07 A.M., and let out a groan. These late night stakeouts were really starting to get to him.

Bored out of his mind, Nick was the first to break the silence. "I dunno Carrots. It looks like he's not here tonight. Maybe tomorrow?" He stated.

Judy quickly denied his request to leave. "Nick, we are looking for someone who has murdured a mammal! We can't just leave and risk missing him."

Nick nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, Judy was right. This fellow had been on the loose for a while now, and too long for Judy's comfort.

Nick, being his usual self, was about to reply with a snarky comment when a hooded figure turned the corner with a brown plastic bag held tightly in his right paw. They wouldn't have normally known what species this mammal was, but the beige colored coyote feet were a dead giveaway. Nick and Judy's eyes both locked on to the mammal, watching his movement. The coyote made his way to the building in question, and fished in his pocket for the keys. They slid into the creaky front door with a click, and stepped into the house.

Adrenaline began to flow in the veins of both of the police officers as they quickly but quietly jumped out of their squad car, ready to catch this criminal. Once they set up on opposite sides of the door, they locked eyes, ready to enter.

"And before we go in Carrots, I call yelling 'Freeze, ZPD!'"he declared, a smug grin on his muzzle.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, sly fox."

Ready to enter, Nick help up his paw, three fingers extended.

Three…two…one! He mouthed.

The two burst in the musty room, their guns drawn at chest height.

"Freeze, ZPD!" He yelled.

The beige coyote, now sitting at a table in the center of the room, sat back in his chair relaxed, with a smug smile stretched across his muzzle.

The way that the coyote was handling himself made Nick go on edge. After all these years of conning mammals, he knew when something was about to go south.

"Nah. We'll deal with you first, and then we can talk about freezing or whatever." The coyote growled.

Nick's ears raised. He said we'll. That's plural. There were two mammals inside, and one of them most likely had an advantage over them.

Before Nick or Judy had any time to react, the second mammal came from the side, tackling them all at once. Their belts, having any means of useful protection was ripped off of them, and they were both shoved into a corner.

"This is not good. At all." Nick whispered quietly.

The beige coyote squatted next to the trembling officers. "Now look. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Whichever one you want."

Both officers remained quiet, scared out of their minds.

"Alrighty then, the hard way it is."

The coyote raised his gun at Nick.

Judy trembled in place, terrified and scared for both herself and her partner.

Before the coyote could finish his sentence, a gunshot rang through the doorway, and both of the coyotes slumped to the ground, writhing in pain. Of all mammals, an arctic fox with incredible white fur stepped through the door, claws scratching against the cheap hardwood floors.

He trotted over to the helpless officers, and handed them their belts back.

Judy, relieved, released a breath that she had been holding for a while. The arctic fox had no intention of hurting the officers. He was here to help! "Thank you sir, you saved our tails. Whats your name?" Judy asked.

The arctic fox responded with a smooth, calm, and friendly voice. "Hey, I'm Cooper, nice to meet you. I guess you're the Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps everyone's been talking about?" He asked.

"That we are. Are you with the ZPD?" Judy said.

Cooper shook his head. "Not currently, but tomorrow I'll be at roll call."

"Wait. Then why are you here?" Nick questioned.

"Well," he paused, "Bogo told me to keep a watchful eye on you two. It seems you got yourself in a situation that you bit off more than you could chew." He smiled.

He extended a worn paw towards Judy, who was lying on the ground, which she gladly accepted.

As she got up and dusted herself off, she and Nick noticed that he was already making his way out of the room.

On Cooper's back, a fox sized rucksack concealed something that caught the eye of Nick. A very intimidating bow, and broadhead arrows were hidden behind his equipment.

Intrigued by the bow, Nick asked him a quick question. "Hey Cooper, out of curiosity, what's your last name?"

Cooper stopped, and turned around.

"Hood."

"Wait! As in...Robin?"

"Sure is."

Nick's jaw was wide open.

Cooper cracked up at his reaction. "Yes, don't flatter me," he paused, "and don't tell anyone. It turns into a hassle when mammals start asking questions."

Nick's jaw still hung open, Cooper disappeared into the night without a trace.

Postscript

*Dramatic Music*

So, how'd you like Cooper? I know not a lot about him has been revealed yet, but some questions will be answered next chapter.

Oh, and Cooper's last name. He's related to Robin Hood. This explains the bow.

Before you leave, review, follow, favorite or do whatever.

Until next time guys. See ya!


	2. Patrol (2)

**Alrighty, round 2 folks.**

 **And before I start, I have an idea. This is an opportunity for the readers to get involved in the story.**

 **From now until the next chapter is published, create an Oc, and put your character in the reviews or private message me. Include the species, personality, and his or her occupation does not matter. This Oc should be middle-aged, not a bunny or fox, and will be included in future chapters. Who knows, maybe I'll select multiple Oc's. It does not matter if your character is from your writing, either.**

 **And without further ado… I'm vegan.**

 **Just kidding. I love bacon.  
**

Chapter 2 

'Patrol'

Both Nick and Judy's mornings started off the same.

Wake up, bright and early, 5:30 a.m.

Get dressed in uniform.

Be a stereotypical cop and get coffee and doughnuts.

Get to ZPD headquarters.

And finally… roll call.

Usually, Nick was the one to show up just in the (alright, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen) 'nick' of time, usually with 2 minutes to spare. Judy always arrived, prepared for the rest of the day with 30 minutes to spare. She used this time to complete paperwork. Nick always blamed his late arrival on lack of sleep, and the distractions his phone had to offer. Yet, sometimes he woke up with a little more energy in his reserves than normal, and showed up at the same time as Judy. As for today, this was the case.

The pair would always sit in the same seat, as they were partners, and the tiger-sized chairs had more than enough space to accommodate the small bodies of a bunny and and fox. There were four seats per row, except for the front right row – their row. Cooper would be joining them today.

Nick jumped into the spot next to Judy. "Hey Carrots, how's it going this morning?"

"I'm doing just fine – say, you seem energized more than usual." Judy observed.

"Yeah, today is just one of those days." He paused for a moment, confused as to why there was a 5th chair, and then remembered f last night's events.

"Cooper should be joining us today, shouldn't he?" He asked. 

"Yep, he should be with us shortly."

And right on cue, ZPD's one and only arctic fox swung the door open quietly, and made his way over to Nick and Judy.

His uniform was the sharpest the duo had ever seen. His shirt and pants were both dry cleaned, and ironed to perfection, and his tie was the perfect length. The shiny, bronze name tag matched almost perfectly with the equally shiny badge. The tag proudly bared the last name 'Hood'. The name, and all of its glory stuck out like a sore paw, and attracted the attention of most of the surrounding officers.

He pulled himself onto the chair beside Nick and Judy. "Morning, guys." He greeted.

"Morning Cooper, you sleep alright last night?" Judy asked. It was late last night after all.

"I slept fine. I'm used to getting less sleep than that sometimes." He responded.

Judy looked at the clock, which was hung over the whiteboard at the front of the room. It read 8:00 a.m.

"Roll is starting soon," Judy leaned over to Cooper, "and expect an anticlimactic shout out from Bogo."

"Alright," he grinned, "I'll look out for it."

Without any warning, the mammals behind the trio started to bang their balled fists on the table, and the hippo in the front of the called the room to attention in the most southern, redneck way possible, almost like he was doing it on purpose.

"Room, Atten-tion!" He bellowed, and both Cooper and Nick gritted their sharp teeth, suppressing a fit of laughter.

The door on the right side of the room opened, revealing a beefy water buffalo, which Cooper presumed was Chief Bogo.

"Alright, everybody sit." He declared, sliding on his buffalo sized readers.

Everyone did as they were told, sitting down simultaneously with a thunderous crash.

Bogo cleared his throat. "We have a new recruit today which I should introduce, but I'm not going to, because, I don't care." This always made a few officers chuckle, and Cooper already had something to say before the laughing subsided.

"With all due respect sir, that was the oldest line in the book." Cooper stated.

"Shut your mouth Hood." Bogo retorted.

Cooper looked around the bullpen for any surprised looks, and in turn he locked eyes with a few officers, confirming their suspicions silently.

"Assignments: Delgato, Wolford, burglary in Sahara Square. Higgins, Snarlov, undercover."

He sent some other officers to Tundra Town, and paused a moment to catch his breath. "Wilde, Hopps, and our first arctic fox, Officer Hood." He, waited, trying to get a reaction out of the three mammals. "Patrol. Dismissed."

Without a question, they immediately left the room, and both foxes burst into laughter, bending over and slapping their knees.

"What's so funny guys?" Judy asked in confusion.

Cooper was the first available to answer her question. "I'm so sorry," he laughed, "that call to attention was pathETIC!" He forced out the last bit of the sentence to keep from falling into another fit of uncontrollable laughter alongside Nick, who was running out of air.

After their short and sweet laugh, they grabbed the keys to the cruiser from Clawhauser and headed out of ZPD Headquarters. Despite the size of the vehicle, they had no problems opening the thick, bulletproof doors. The seats were black and not the most comfortable, but they weren't bad.

After several hours of pulling cars over for speeding tickets, Nick was eager to strike up a conversation.

"So Cooper, where'd you grow up at?" Nick asked.

"Texas. I lived 45 minutes or so south of Dallas. It got upwards of 95 degrees regularly during the summer." He responded.

"Wow, that's hot. It hardly ever gets there in Sahara Square." Judy said.

"Yeah, especially for an arctic fox. I overheated quite a bit. But, it was north Texas, so thankfully the winters got cold."

Nick, already appearing to be good friends with Cooper, was eager to learn more about his past. "Did you live in an apartment or a house?" Nick inquired.

Cooper's ears drooped, and he responded quietly. "Orphanage…"

Judy immediately felt sorry for him, and got irritated at Nick for crossing the line. But, he still managed to keep the good vibes going.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I couldn't help my situation, and I was fine with it. I had lots of great friends there." He assured. "Such great friends that most of us didn't want to be adopted, and it remained that way until we all turned 18. We went our separate ways then."

He elaborated on why he was placed in an orphanage. "My parents aren't dead. They're living somewhere, maybe looking for me. Who knows?"

Cooper went on to explain in great detail about his time in college and after that the Air Force. Overall, he said, it was a good time. He managed to land himself a spot on the top pararescue jump team, which was pretty cool.

"So, why come to Zootopia and become a cop?" Nick asked.

"They live here, my real parents. It's a confusing story, but long story short I found a hint about their whereabouts, which led me here. And I needed a job."

After hours of conversation and the dull droning of the tires against the asphalt it was finally time to head back to headquarters.

The trio hopped out of the massive car. "Hey it was nice talking to you Cooper. See you tomorrow?" Judy asked.

"Yep, sure thing. See ya!"

Cooper walked away, jumped in his truck, and drove off, waving as he left the parking lot.

Nick always liked Judy as a friend, but today he felt a new emotion spark inside of him. He wasn't left out of the conversation, and Cooper showed no signs of liking Judy romantically, but Nick still seemed to be jealous of him. After all - they had been through more together. Judy often found Nick stealing a few looks at her, but his emerald eyes were hard not to notice in your peripheral vision. This new feeling that he had for Judy - this love that he felt for her - needed to be released. Little did he know, Judy felt the same way. She was just waiting for Nick to tell her.

"Judy?"

Judy turned to face Nick. "Yes?" She said, ears sprung up.

"I have something to tell you." 

**Author's Note**

 **Oh yeah.**

 **But seriously guys - make an Oc and put it in the reviews or private message me. I'm gonna put him or her in the story. Also, tell me what kind of chapter you want - action, fluff, etc.**

 **I'm in Jrotc - the hippo's call to attention was truly funny for me, as well as other people in my flight.**

 **Check back regularly for updates. See ya.**


	3. Confessions From The Heart (3)

**Please Read!**

 **Ok, so I've discovered that I have loads of time on my hands, and I'm updating this story like there is no tomorrow.**

 **The same thing for last chapter – create an Oc and send their species, personality, occupation, in the reviews, or just private message me. Your Oc will be featured in an upcoming chapter.  
You will receive credit for your Oc.**

 **If you read that, then you are pretty cool.**

 **But seriously guys. Oc's. Private message. Por favor.**

 **And without further ado… we had like 4 people from Azerbaijan read this. That's pretty cool.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **'Confessions from the Heart'  
**  
"Judy…I love you."

Judy, caught off guard by his confession, stood on the cold concrete, unable to think of a reaction. This was completely uncalled for – she knew that Nick was a great friend, and flirted with her every chance he got, but – was it actually serious? She quickly decided to not say no – she knew that she had feelings for Nick. Judy chose a much more neutral approach to the situation, but most of the words came out distorted, and couldn't be pieced together to make a sentence.

"Nick…I uh…" She stammered.

Nick's ears quickly fell in embarrassment. "I'm sorry…if this was unexpected. I…just...needed to get it out…". His paw rose to the back of his head, scratching an itch that was never there.

Judy took a deep breath, and moved closer to Nick, only to look down at his red-orange feet. "Nick…I love you too."

Nick's ears returned to their normal position. "Wait, really?!"

Judy reached for his paw that hung beside his hip, and smiled. "Yes, Nick.  
Really."

The wave of uncontrollable joy and relief caused Nick to sweep Judy off of her feet, and he raised her face up by his. They began to laugh, but it eventually subsided as their muzzles inched closer together…

And connected.

The kiss that followed was long, sweet, and filled to the brim with emotion. After what seemed like an hour, they broke the connection, and Nick brought Judy's forehead to his muzzle. Both were speechless, indulging themselves in the high of the moment.

"Nick…what about the others…what will they think?" Judy breathed.

"Eh. Who cares about what they think. I'm with you, and that's all that matters…"

Nick continued to carry Judy all the way through the parking lot to his car, muzzles still touching on the side. He carefully set Judy down and the seat, and sat down opposite of her. "Carrots, you promise me that you won't wake up tomorrow and change your mind?"

"No…not ever…" She said, exhausted.

Their paws still closed tightly around the other's, they drove their way back to Nick's apartment.

Cooper sat in the driver's seat of his pickup truck, elbow resting on the door. He was slumped against the seat, tired from mostly nothing important happening on his first day. Patrol, however boring It was, could sap the energy right out of you. But, nonetheless, today was over.

His eyelids felt heavy, every movement becoming harder and more consuming than the last. Sleep lately has been rare, as he had been rummaging through the phone book to try and find his parents, but to no avail.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He slowly moved to grab it with his paw, and on the bright screen revealed the name 'Chief Bogo'.

He answered the call. "Hey Chief, what's going on?" Cooper asked.

"Nothing much, but we have a situation at an apartment. Nothing is going permanently south, but we need more officers on-site. Suspected armed robbery. Neither Hopps or Wilde answered their phones."

Cooper let out a sigh that was accidentally audible to Bogo. "Look Hood, I know its been a long day, but we just need you to show up. Clawhauser is there, he should keep you awake." Bogo offered.

"Ok, alright. Where's the apartment at?"

The apartment was not far from where Cooper was. The lights coming from the cop cars were a telltale sign of where everything was going down.

Clawhauser, and the big cheetah that he is, was easily spotted by the fox's excellent eyesight. "Hey Clawhauser, what's going on?"

Clawhauser, excited for the new friend that came, filled him in rather quickly. "Nothing much, suspected armed robbery."

Cooper cocked an eyebrow. "Why…suspected armed?"

Clawhauser responded with a worried expression on his face, and pointed to a group of paramedics. The antelope doctors were huddled around a stretcher, tending to wounds received by…a bunny.

Cooper turned back to Clawhauser. "I'm gonna go ask them a few questions.. Be right back."

Cooper walked over to the injured bunny, who was laying face up, with cuts and bruises covering most of her body, except her head. Nothing looked too serious, but that was by fox standards – these might be some pretty serious wounds for an animal this small.

"What happened to her?" Cooper asked one of the paramedics.

"We don't know for sure, but we think a wolf broke in and scratched her up pretty bad.. The wolf took some things as well." One of the antelopes added.

These apartments were on the high-end of what Zootopia had to offer. No wonder their apartment complex was a target.

Another one of the antelopes spoke. "We need an officer to be with her during her stay in the hospital. Bogo said to just choose someone on-site. Can you come with us?"

Cooper thought for minute. He thought about the sleep he would lose, and the next boring week inside a dull hospital room. But this bunny needed help, and for whatever reason protection.

"I'll go." Cooper helped the antelopes lift the stretcher into the ambulance, and he got in as well. His truck would have to be retrieved tomorrow.

-

The noise of the heart rate monitor was getting annoying, real quick.

The bunny was now lying on a white hospital bed, staring up at the celling. Her chest moved up and down rhythmically, almost hypnotizing because it was so consistent. The same beep, the same rhythm. This combined with a lack of sleep made it extremely difficult to stay awake.

Cooper was sitting in a chair to her right, which was propped up against the wall. It was getting very late, and the two had been quiet for 30 minutes. Cooper had always been a very reserved, laid back person. By no means was he lazy, but he often found it interesting enough to sit back, and silently observe objects and people. He was a mammal of few words – if there was nothing to say, nothing would be said.

After the prolonged silence, the bunny was the first to speak up. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Cooper. Cooper Hood." He responded, waiting for the usual moment of awe.

No response. "Are you a fox?"

"Sure am."

She raised her upper body off of the bed quickly, and Cooper managed to run to her, pushing back down on her shoulders. Moving would only cause more pain.

"Hey, lay still! I don't wan't to keep you down on the bed by force."

"But – that's so cool! Are you actually-"

"Yes, I am. Can you please stay down on the bed?" Cooper pleaded.

The bunny rested back down. "Can we still…talk? I don't want for it to be quiet until my parents get here." She asked.

Cooper agreed. Anything to stay awake. "Sure…what's your name?" Cooper asked.

"Zoe. I'm from the burrows. Where are you from?"

"Texas. Just south of Dallas."

For reasons unknown, Zoe began to burst out in a fit of laughter. Maybe they gave her some medicine that made her loopy.

"Oh, so that explains the truck?" She asked, the laugh now slowed down to a wide grin.

"How in Zootopia did you know I have a truck?!" Cooper asked, startled, and he too started to laugh.

"I saw you when you stepped out of it. You looked all tired." Zoe said.

Cooper moved his chair closer to Zoe's bed, which caused her to raise an eyebrow at him.

"So we don't have to shout across the room." Cooper explained.

Zoe smiled at him. "I like your ears. The black ends go well with your fur." She said.

Cooper retuned with a smirk, and responded, "I like your ears too. They're long."

"I like the color of your eyes." She complimented.

"I like your fur." He said.

This continued for several minutes, until somehow, miraculously, they were holding paws.

Their eyes locked for a brief moment.

"I love you." Zoe said, afraid of his response.

Cooper was quiet, but he slowly pulled her face closer to his muzzle…

…and kissed.

His heart was pounding hard, unable to comprehend the feeling he was having right now. He had never felt it before. _What is it…_ he thought.

Was it love?

-

 **Author's Note:**

 **This was originally planned to be just a Nick X Judy chapter, but I felt bad for Cooper I guess.**

 **Cooper's pull game is 100%.**

 **All jokes aside, I'm really enjoying writing this. I'm gonna keep going. Follow it, or keep tabs on it because this story is constantly being updated. This is the 3rd chapter in 2 days or something like that.**

 **Until next time…**


	4. Hospitals & Hospitality (4)

**I'm going to start writing ominous bits of Cooper's time in the military. This will explain the title a little better.**

 **The same thing for last chapter – create an Oc and send their species, personality, occupation, in the reviews, or just private message me. Your Oc will be featured in an upcoming chapter.**

 **You will receive credit for your OC.**

 **And without further ado...**

 **Chapter 4**

' **Hospitals & Hospitality** **'**

 _Pure white snowflakes fell all around._

 _Pure white clouds drifted aimlessly in the sky._

 _Pure white fog hung in the air._

 _A pure white fox laid quietly in the snow._

The color of purity. Innocence.

The enemy was not innocent.

 _Hunt them down._

 _Pure white snow, stained by red._

 _Every. Last. One._

 _No guns. No knives._

 _Only a bow. He remained unseen._

 _His fur rendered him invisible._

 _He is the Ghost in the Fog._

 **Zootopia Central Hospital, Room 110**

Several minutes had gone by before Zoe's parents arrived. She had warned Cooper before paw about them - they tended to lean more on the overprotective side, and viewed foxes through a negative lens, as most mammals did. Based on the story that Nick told him about Judy's parents, it seemed that all bunnies were like this until convinced otherwise.

Cooper jumped out of his chair when Zoe's parents burst into the room, showering Zoe with questions, concerns, and promises to catch the mammal who robbed her.

Cooper saved Zoe from her parents endless onslaught of questions. "Eh, excuse me? Ma'am? Sir?" Cooper stepped forward, "I'm Officer Hood, ZPD. Are you her parents?"

The bunny, who Cooper assumed was the father, responded with a gruff, tough

sounding, "Yes."

Cooper held out his paw, expecting a pawshake, but he never received one.

Her Mom had a calm, but uneasy voice. "Why are you here? Aren't there any nurses around?"

"The Chief needed an officer to be with Zoe. I don't know why, but he needed me here."

"Get out." Her father said.

"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot leave. It's my job."

"GET OUT!" Zoe's dad bellowed.

Zoe was the first to try and put an end to the shouting. "Dad, stop! He's a cop and a friend. Be respectful towards him!"

 _Read my mind Zoe._

"I DON'T CARE-"

"Quit being mean to the fox, _Brian_."

 _So that's Zoe's dad's name. Brian…I guess they were from the Burrows._

Zoe's mom appeared to be a nicer animal, but she still kept her distance.Cooper was still hesitant to converse after Brian's shouting, but spoke up after receiving a comforting nod by Zoe.

"I need to ask Zoe some questions about the robbery. Can you please exit the room?" Cooper asked.

"No." Brian declared.

Before another argument started, Zoe's mom grabbed Brian by the shoulders and angrily whisked him out of the quiet room, shut the door, and locked it. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, "he can be stubborn at times."

Cooper forced out a smile. "That's alright. Happens all the time."

 _Unfortunately..._

Cooper trotted over to and sat back down in the chair beside Zoe's bed, close by her mother. He pulled off a small notebook, which was attached to his utility belt with velcro.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't quite catch your name?" Cooper asked.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm Laura." She extended her paw.

Cooper reluctantly took it, and shook it with a firm grip. "Hello Laura." Cooper never had any animal not look him in the eyes when they shook paws, because his eyes were too interesting not to look at.

"Ok, Zoe. Question time!" Cooper in his game show host voice. They both responded with a laugh.

Cooper went through the basics - what time the robbery took place, what species the robber was, what was the color of his fur, what he took. After these questions were answered to Cooper's content, he turned a page in the notebook.

"Okay," Cooper said, "I need to know how they hurt you."

Zoe paused for a moment, eyes beginning to fill with water. "They used their claws on me." Cooper could tell that she was on the verge of crying, and he decided it would be best to stop for now. He would have to come back tomorrow morning to ask more.

Cooper stood up, thanking both Zoe and Laura for their time, said his goodbyes to both bunnies (He gave Zoe a wink on the way out), and opened the door to uncover an infuriated father.

Later that night, Cooper informally accepted the case on the walk back to the crime scene via phone call with Bogo.

Nick and Judy were excited for Cooper's first case.

And...Cooper's truck had been towed.

 _Whatever. I could use the exercise anyway._

 **Nick's Apartment**

Nick carried Judy up the stairs to his 3rd floor apartment. At this time of night, the building was very quiet, and not many mammals passed through the long hallways, so no one saw them. The floors were old hardwood, and the walls had old, greasy wallpaper, similar to Judy's cramped housing. It had the appearance on the outside to be trashy, but they were rather nice on the inside.

Despite Judy being held in Nick's arms, her small body was easy to look around to watch where he was going, and to open the door to his apartment. Not that he wanted to look around her - Judy was very beautiful.

Judy's eyes hadn't wandered anywhere but Nick since he confessed. She loved his bright red-orange fur. His vibrant, life-filled emerald green eyes. His long, black tipped fox ears. And on top of all that, Nick looked very handsome in his police uniform.

Nick sat down on his couch, Judy still wrapped in his warm embrace. He slowly rotated Judy to where she was laying her head on his chest, and a sigh of bliss escaped Judy's lips before falling asleep.

 **Next chapter is going to be about Nick and Judy waking up, and the rest of Cooper's time in the hospital with Zoe.**

 **See you next time!**


	5. In The Mornings (5)

**Go check out my second story about my take on the Zootopia with collars, and tell me what you think. Enjoy the chapter! And the fluff.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **'** **In The Mornings** **'**

•••

 _They are all gone._

 _That's it._

 _You're alone._

 _Stop running. You're safe._

 _Cooper obeyed his subconscious thoughts, and turned on his radio. "Hey, you got me? I need some help! Like, now!"_

 _The radio buzzed to life."Cooper, we're on our way. Hang in there!"_

 _The stomping of feet and the shouts of soldiers became audible._

" _Uh, now they're coming, and I'm kinda out of bullets! I have nothing to defend myself!"_

" _Cooper. Relax. You're a fox, right?"_

" _Arctic fox for your information! Why the heck does that even matter?!"_

" _Then you do have something to defend yourself. Claws. Teeth. Think, Cooper. Use them. Survive."_

•••

 **Nick's Apartment**

The warm morning sunlight crept through the window's of Nick's apartment. Nick always loved the feeling of warmth on his fur in the morning, especially the sunlight, but this morning there was something else warming him. The memories of last night slowly crept back into Nick's memory: Nick confessed, then miraculously Judy said yes - and she practically melted into his arms trying to get into and out of the car after that.

He remembered carrying her to his apartment, bridal style, without a care in the world, and they eventually ended up slumped on the couch, exhausted from the day's events, with Judy curled up on his chest.

Nick smiled lovingly at Judy, still in her blissful slumber.

 _You've hustled me into becoming a cop fairly well, and now you've hustled me into liking you…sly bunny._

Judy stirred from her sleep as Nick softly rubbed the palm of her paw with his thumb. She looked so peaceful, her chest rising up and down rhythmically.

He brought his muzzle closer to Judy, and put his lips in between her long, rounded ears. Judy's eyes flickered open as she awoke from the feeling of Nick's cold nose. She normally wouldn't want anyone else waking her up but herself, but…this was _very_ different. Nick dared to look into her eyes, which were gazing back at him. They were an astounding, vibrant, bright shade of purple. Her grey fur shined in the warm morning sunlight. Her looks could turn heads, even for mammals that weren't rabbits…

Nick released his lips from in between her ears, but Judy grabbed the fur on the side of his face and pulled him back in. This time, he landed on her lips. Judy let out a deep sigh of relief. She wanted to be nowhere but here, wrapped in Nick's bright red-orange arms.

Nevertheless, something seemed off…maybe it was…

Judy jumped off of the couch, pulling Nick's arm. "The _time_! Sweet cheese and crackers Nick, what's the time?! We need to get to work!" Judy started to panic as she frantically began the search for her uniform.

Nick was still laying on the couch, watching her run around the room like there's no tomorrow. "Judy? Judy! _Relax!"_ Nick said. He leaned forward, "Number one," he paused to hold down his laughter, "you still have your uniform on. We never took ours off last night. Number two, I've already called in to use a vacation day for both of us. We don't have to go to work today."

Nick sat up out of his couch and extended his arms expecting a hug as payment for waking him up. Judy sighed, and planted her face into Nick's stomach. "Sly fox."

"Dumb bunny."

"Oh, hush."

Nick put his forearm under her legs and swiftly lifted her off of her feet. He carried her over to the front door, and set her down. "Wanna go get some breakfast Judes?"

Judy huffed at Nick. "Don't call me that!"

Nick was quick to respond. "Oh, now that we're a thing, I can and _will_ call you Judes."

The two, their fur still ruffled, made their way out of Nick's apartment. "Nick? For an ex-con mammal, you have a really nice apartment." Judy complemented.

Nick stuck his paws in his pockets. "Well, 200 bucks a day year 'round is 73 thousand dollars. More than enough to get a nice apartment." Nick pulled his paws out and ruffled Judy's ears.

The two made their way through the streets, pausing to look through store windows, or to decide on where to eat breakfast. They ended up stopping at a small park. "So, where would my little bunny like to eat?"

Judy raised an eyebrow. " _My…_ bunny?"

Nick nodded with a smile. "Yes, _my_ bunny. Where do ya wanna eat?"

Judy inched closer to Nick on the bench they were sitting on. "Well," Judy said, "we could go to that new breakfast place down on East 3rd?"

Nick tilted his head. "Sounds good Carrots. Let's go!"

Judy crossed her small arms. "You can't call me that either."

Nick copied Judy, crossing his arms with a smile. "Hmm. Then you can't call me a sly fox."

Judy opened her mouth, but no words came out. "Fine. You can call me Carrots."

Nick chuckled. "I knew you liked calling me a sly fox."

•••

 **Zootopia Central Hospital, Room 110**

 **0800**

Zoe lay in her hospital bed, bored out of her mind from doing _nothing_ but sitting there and eating, watching TV, eating again, and then to top it all off, watch more TV. The lack of things to do left her thinking about…previous visitors. And she wasn't thinking about her parents.

Zoe snorted in frustration. "If only I had his number…"

Several minutes passed of the usual waiting, check-ups by the doctors and more TV. She needed to get up. Move around, maybe stretch her legs.

She decided to wait until nobody was near, using her hearing to determine whether to get up or not. After all was clear, she carefully crawled her way out of bed.

The short figure-eight around the room was oddly satisfying. It felt good to get up, stretch and move around for once. Good thing the scratches didn't hurt. Once she heard a nurse coming, she completed one last lap, and made her way back to the bed.

Zoe used the cold metal guard-rail to pull herself up on the bed. But before she turned on her back to lay down, she noticed a small, crumpled sheet of paper, lying in the middle of the bed. She hadn't felt the paper beneath her earlier, and she picked it up and inspected it.

On the paper was written some neat pawwriting:

 _Hope you feel better. Text me if you get bored._

 _C_

Below the message was a line of numbers.

Zoe squealed in excitement. "You stupid, sly fox! How did he even…?" Her voice trailed off as she swiped her phone off of the bedside table and began furiously typing the numbers into her phone. Finally, someone to talk to!

 **Z:** _'You know, you could've just handed me your number like a normal mammal.'_

She waited anxiously for Cooper's response.

 **C:** ' _You're mom was right there. Glad to see you're not hurting'_

 **Z:** _'Yeah. Where are you right now?'_

 **C:** _'At the station. Need me to come check on you?'_

Zoe squealed in excitement once more.

 **Z:** _'Sure'_

 **C:** _'Alright, be there in a few'_

Zoe stopped for a minute, paws hovering over the send button. She really wanted to continue to talk to Cooper, but she knew they would talk more once he got here.

 _I'll just do it anyway_ Zoe thought.

 **Z:** _Can we talk about last night?_

 **C:** _Sure, what about it?_

 **Z:** _About…the kiss? Are we a thing now?_

A few tense minutes passed.

 **C:** _I guess so. What do you think?_

 **Z:** _I want to be._

Another few tense moments.

 **C:** _Love you Zoe. Be there in a few_

 **Z:** _Love you too. Hurry up you slow fox!_

 **C:** _Arctic fox for your information. See you_

Zoe set down her phone with an excited, trembling paw, and placed them over her heart. That fox just stole her heart. If only he wasn't all the way across town…

•••

 **Again, go check out my second story. See you in Chapter 6.**


	6. Everyone Knows The Secret (6)

**It's getting hard to write with Cooper and Nick & Judy apart from each other, so they'll meet up here.**

 **Second story link:**

 **s/11958010/1/Zootopia-Contained-By-Collars**

 **Leave a review after you're done. Enjoy!**

•••

 **Chapter 6**

' **Everyone Knows The Secret'**

Forty five minutes, it took him.

Forty five long, excruciating minutes for Cooper to get to the hospital. He was the _slowest fox_ she had heard of.

Waiting - one of the few things that Zoe had done over the past few days - was getting _very_ old, _very_ fast.

Fed up with his horribly slow pace, she impatiently swiped her bunny sized phone off of the bedside table, and dialed up Cooper's number.

 _*Ring* *Ring*_

Zoe began to think aloud. "Answer the phone, Cooper."

 _*Ring* *Ring*_

She started to tap her foot impatiently. "Answer the phone, _Cooper you sloth._ " She growled, with an edge to her voice.

 _*Ring* *Ring*_

"ANSWER THE PHONE, COOP-"

And right on time, the one and only Cooper Hood strolled through the door, with an apologetic, yet sincere smile wrapped around his muzzle. Normally, he would be in a uniform at this hour of the day, but this time he wasn't wearing one. Instead, he had on a nice, long sleeve plaid shirt and cargo shorts. He leaned against the frame of the doorway, and cleared his throat before he started to speak. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Traffic can be really bad these days."

Zoe took a deep sigh of relief, and outstretched her short grey arms towards Cooper. "I'll accept a hug from my favorite fox as payment for being late."

Cooper snorted in amusement, and shot a look over his shoulder before entering, and letting the door swing shut on its own. "Well," he said, "I suppose…a short hug couldn't hurt… and maybe a kiss…?". Cooper walked over and sat down next to Zoe on her bed, who was now sitting up, gazing into Cooper's deep, icy blue eyes. He leaned over to Zoe's side of the bed and closed his snow-white arms around her fragile frame. "I missed you." Zoe said, her face buried into Cooper's chest.

Cooper thought all of this was entertaining, and he held Zoe as close as possible. "Jeez, you do really miss me! We've been together for what…two days or so? You're a very…clingy rabbit, you."

Cooper started rubbing her back slowly. "Yeah…I guess I really like you." Zoe confessed. She dug her face deeper into his chest.

"I figured. Rabbits do like an arctic fox in uniform." Cooper broke the hug and kissed her lightly between her eyes, a warm smile still upon his face.

Zoe was curious about his new attire. "Speaking of which - where is your uniform?"

"I took a vacation day, so did Nick and Judy. I can't work without the whole team, you know?" He replied.

Zoe just sat there and admired him. He was so _handsome and_ so _good-looking_ that he was almost hard not to look at, even for a rabbit! And his icy eyes made it even harder not to gawk and stare at him. His arms bore the toned muscles of a predator, and his back and front appeared strong as well. He wasn't big, or buff in any way, it's just that the muscles that he had were dense, toned, and strong. He was _very_ handsome, especially in that shirt and shorts.

"So…I guess you're leaving soon?" Cooper

asked, claws tapping on the bedside table. He knew that she had to have been getting close to leaving. Her injuries received from the wolf weren't _that_ serious, but they were serious enough to where she had to stay attended to for a few days.

"Hopefully…I just don't have anywhere to go when I do. "

Cooper sat up straight, confused at her comment. "What do you mean you don't have anywhere to go…oh." He remembered what happened to her apartment.

Zoe combed her back head fur with one of her paws. "Yeah…my apartment kinda burned down, remember?" Zoe said, moving her paw on top of his arm.

"Oh, yeah. Uh…about having no place to stay…" Cooper paused, "you could crash at my place. Until you get a new apartment." Cooper suggested, shrugging his shoulders. I mean, where else was the poor bunny going to stay?

Zoe looked at Cooper with wide eyes, excitement filling up her body. "Wait…really? You'd…let me do that?"

"…yes. Just clean up after yourself, and we are _not_ sleeping in the same bed. That would only make problems if we did. Got it?"

Zoe held her paws over her mouth in excitement. "Ok, yeah! Got it!"

Cooper sighed, and let out an unintentional nervous chuckle. "Oh, mammal… I can't believe I'm doing this. I probably shouldn't do this…we didn't even know each other three days ago! And you're already spending more than one night…" Now it was Cooper's turn to run his paws through his head fur.

Zoe placed her paw delicately on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, Cooper. I'm not going to, uh, _start_ anything, so to speak?"

Cooper rubbed his eyes. "I am _very_ serious about the bed thing." Cooper warned. "No sneaking or peeking at me at night either." Cooper knew that was a joke, but it came out like he meant it.

Zoe scoffed, and sat up straight again in protest. "I would _not_ do that!"

"I know. I was kidding around. It came out weird. Not that I would mind you taking a peek or two - ouch!" Cooper faked a yelp as Zoe socked him in the arm.

His paws grasped her armpits, and he set her on his lap. Zoe leaned into Cooper's chest, and she hugged him close as Cooper set his head on top of hers, and moved his paws to her stomach.

She inched ever closer to his long, white ears. "Quit teasing me Cooper, or I might do something considered to be scandalous in the hospital." Zoe had that naughty look on her face, and Cooper knew exactly what she meant.

"Hmm. I really am that good-looking, huh? I guess everything is considered teasing." Cooper continued to do what he was doing for a few minutes. The pair halted their friendly playing for a few minutes to just relax in each other's company, occasionally glancing to up or down to steal a look at their lover.

A loud, very audible rumble from Zoe's stomach gained the attention of Cooper. His ears raised and directed themselves towards the source of the noise.

Cooper's eyebrows raised, not expecting that loud of a roar from such a small mammal. "Have they even fed you breakfast yet?"

Zoe shook her head.

"Good heavens, we need to get some food in your stomach! Do you think they'll let me get some food for you?" Cooper suggested. Of course, Zoe was all down for it, excited that she didn't have to eat any hospital food. "I think they'll let you. I guess just be sure and tell someone on the way out."

Cooper stood back up on his feet to leave, much to Zoe's dismay. "Don't you worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Before he made his way to the door, Zoe leaned in close to Cooper's ears. "I heard there was a new place on East 3rd. Could you get me some food from there?" She whispered.

Cooper chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'm gonna get some food for me too then. See you soon, sweetheart." With one last kiss between her long ears, he was off to get Zoe's breakfast.

•••

 **Downtown Cafe**

 **0845**

And lone behold…

Nick and Judy, sitting in a fox sized booth in the back of the cafe. The two were deep in conversation, looking…no, that wasn't the right word. They were _gazing_ into each other's eyes, and with a burning passion. Cooper diverted his eyes to the center of the table, to discover that they were also…

…holding paws?

 _Well._ Cooper thought, _This is a new development. They didn't even change out of their uniforms from yesterday!_

Cooper smiled at the thought of them being a couple as he stepped behind a brown wolf at the back of the to-go line. They still hadn't seen him yet - and if they hadn't seen him yet, they would hear his voice when he ordered, and know that he's there. Cooper returned his attention to the menu. After much thought, he decided to get what Zoe wanted - the glazed carrot donut.

 _Might as well try what a bunny likes, because one will be living with me. Plus, I'm curious._

Cooper ordered the donuts, and as predicted, Nick and Judy both broke the stare and stopped let go of each other's paws, startled by his sudden appearance. They shoved their paws in their pockets, trying to find a non-suspicious way to use them, but to no avail.

The cashier handed Cooper the two carrot donuts in a paper bag the same color as his fur, and he made his way over to Nick and Judy's table.

Judy tried to act like they hadn't seen Cooper in the store yet. "Oh, hey, Officer Hood!"

At least…she tried. It was a noble, yet futile effort to throw up a facade that could fool a fox. Even Nick knew it was a failed attempt, rubbing his face as to say _Really?!_.

Cooper trotted over to their table, ears pinned to the back of his head. "Hey, chill with the last name. I don't want any unwanted attention!" Cooper whispered, noticing some interested looks by other mammals.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she did. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She whispered back, now that Cooper was right beside their table. He crouched down, and looked into both Nick and Judy's eyes. "So…" He paused, "you two are a thing now?" He knew that they would deny it at first.

Nick was pretty good at putting up a decent confused facade. "W-Whaddya mean?" Nick asked, purposefully slurring his own words. His paws started to become restless, moving it around the top of his knee cap.

Cooper laughed at Nick's apparent nervousness. "Don't think I didn't notice you two lovebirds holding paws," he paused, laughing at the pair's doomed expression, "and you are still in your uniforms, which are fairly wrinkled. And if I'm correct, isn't today your off day?" Cooper asked, taking turns looking at Nick and then Judy.

Nick, realizing that there was no way that Cooper was going to stop asking , leaned in closer to Cooper. "Look. You can't tell anyone…it wouldn't be good for us."

He said.

"Hey, my muzzle is shut. Besides," Cooper said, "I could care less that a rabbit and a fox are dating." Cooper set a supportive paw on Nick's shoulder.

He started to make his way towards the door to leave, but Judy asked him a question before he reached the door. "Cooper…why? Why do you not care? Most people would hate us for it, it's practically forbidden love."

Cooper smirked.

The only thing he did to respond was to place a paw over his mouth and say: _Shhh…_

But that was the only subtle hint Nick and Judy needed to drop their jaws to the floor.

•••

 **I'm glad I got that out of my system. Cooper has some tight lips, so even Clawhauser won't hear a word.**

 **Second story link:**

 **s/11958010/1/Zootopia-Contained-By-Collars**

 **Reviews are appreciated!**


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